Internal Medicine
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Can Magnesium Cure Nocturnal Leg Cramps?
A small randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial demonstrated that oral magnesium oxide was not superior to placebo for older adults suffering from nocturnal leg cramps.
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Infectious Disease Alert Updates
Take Those Pins Out of Your Mouth!; How Many Sex Partners Is “Too Many”?; Rinse that GC Right Out of Your Mouth
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2016 Was Not a Good Year for New FDA Anti-infectives
In 2016, two anti-hepatitis C virus combination drugs were approved, as were monoclonal antibodies directed at bacterial toxins (anthrax toxin and Clostridium difficile toxin B), as well as an oral cholera vaccine.
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Treatment of Early Forms of Syphilis in HIV-Infected Patients
The results of this randomized trial provide support for the CDC recommendation of treatment of early stages of syphilis in HIV-infected patients with a single intramuscular 2.4-million-unit dose of benzathine penicillin.
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A Potpourri of Global Viral Activity — It’s Always Something
Ross River virus, Sindbis virus, Kyasanur Forest disease, Lassa fever, avian influenza, MERS-CoV, and Seoul virus are among the viruses currently causing outbreaks.
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Yellow Fever Redux
Yellow fever currently is epidemic in Brazil, and there is concern of further spread.
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Antibiotic Use in Children — a Cross-national Analysis
Up to 7.5-fold differences in antibiotic use in children were seen across six developed countries in Europe, Asia, and North America. The highest rate of antibiotic use was in Korea, and the lowest was in Norway.
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Clindamycin Improves Outcomes in Necrotizing Fasciitis Due to Group A Streptococcus
Using a murine model of necrotizing fasciitis, investigators determined that clindamycin inhibits key virulence factors of Group A Streptococcus, and should be given as soon as possible and at high doses to reach levels above MIC in affected tissues.
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Vitamin D to Prevent Acute Respiratory Infections?
Vitamin D supplementation is associated with a decreased risk of respiratory infections, especially in those who had low circulating levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D.
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High-sensitivity Cardiac Troponin
In patients with new-onset chest pain without ECG evidence of an ST-elevation myocardial infarction, conversion to the use of a high-sensitivity troponin T assay with three-hour retesting in three hospitals was compared to maintaining the fourth-generation troponin T assay with six-hour retesting in three other hospitals. The use of high-sensitivity troponin T resulted in lower ED length of stay and costs, without increasing the use of coronary angiography or stress testing.